7 Estimate Red Flags Florida Condo Boards Miss After Hurricanes
After reviewing more than $2.4B in repair estimates, one pattern is painfully consistent: the most dangerous problems are often not the obvious high prices. They are missing scope, vague exclusions, and assumptions that quietly shift risk back to the association.
1. Scope excludes envelope repairs
Doors, windows, flashings, sealants, stucco interfaces, roof edges, penetrations, and waterproofing transitions are where hurricane damage and water intrusion often hide. If an estimate repairs finishes but excludes envelope work, the board may be buying cosmetic recovery while leaving the cause untouched.
2. Unit-by-unit exterior inspection is not required or priced
Condo damage is rarely uniform. A building-wide estimate that never requires balcony, window, door, railing, or exterior wall inspection by unit can miss conditions that later become change orders.
3. No allowance for permit fees, impact fees, or DBPR-related costs
Florida repair work often carries permit, inspection, design, engineering, and regulatory costs. If the estimate says permits are excluded or silent, the board should ask who pays and how much has been budgeted.
4. Contingency above 10% without justification
A contingency can be responsible. A large unexplained contingency is a warning sign. Boards should ask what specific unknowns drive the number, how it will be approved, and whether unused contingency returns to the association.
5. Contractor license status is not independently verified
Every contractor and key trade should be checked through Florida DBPR. Do not rely on a logo, brochure, or license number printed on a proposal without verification.
6. No scope for code compliance or SIRS-related work
Hurricane repairs may intersect with code upgrades, structural obligations, reserve planning, milestone inspections, or SIRS-related issues. If the proposal ignores compliance triggers, the board may face expensive surprises after contract award.
7. Insurance credits are assumed but not confirmed
Some estimates assume carrier payment, depreciation recovery, supplements, or code coverage that has not actually been confirmed. Boards should separate contractor pricing from insurance recovery and avoid promising owners that insurance will cover a number the carrier has not accepted.
The board move
Before approval, require a written exclusions list, license verification, permit assumptions, code assumptions, unit inspection plan, and independent estimate review for major work. A clean estimate is not just cheaper; it is easier to explain to owners and insurers.
Want to pressure-test the board file?
Use the free readiness scorecard or review a contractor estimate before the board approves major hurricane repair work.